RE: Will it work come spring?
Thanks for the input guys.
I always winterize the generator by changing the oil, hooking it to a jug of Sta-Bil treated gas, running that gas thru it, then remove the pickup from the jug and run the carb dry.
So far as the tank goes, I've found over the years I have less trouble if I empty the tank and use the gas up in the wife's truck, compared to leaving it over the winter, even with Sta-Bil in it. It seems like the additives, oxygenators, alcohol, and who knows what in "modern' gasoline breaks down quicker than the older blend gasolines did. We have low humidity here, often in single digits, so condensation has never been a problem.
As for the fuel pump, I decided to try it, even without fuel in the tank. I replaced the fuse and quickly switched it on and off. Came on and sounded normal, so I'm hoping the squalling and fuse popping was just a fluke or something.
Keeping my fingers crossed
Sam
Will it work come spring?
Hey guys. I winterized my trailer yesterday. part of it was emptying out the gas tank in the fuel station so the gas doesn't sit all winter. I was pumping the last of the gas out when the pump started squalling. Before I could get to the switch under the pump, it quit. I checked, and yep, the 15 amp fuse was blown. I replaced the fuse, but haven't tried running the pump again because I'm thinking running it dry might have been why it blew.
Short of waiting until I drag the trailer to the gas pump next spring, should I do anything? I've read about a problem with swelling gears in some pumps. I'm not sure I want to tear things apart if I don't have to.
Thoughts?
Thanks,
Sam
RE: HR Black Diamond / Boogie Box
Good plan, the 1000s are pretty inexpensive compared to the option of solar and more batteries. Which batteries do you have though?
Also, when it's cold here, it more than likely is cloudy or snowing. Solar doesn't work too well then....
The batteries are the standard cheap 12V "deep cycle" batteries that the dealer put in. I'll wear them out, then replace them with something better. Even with better batteries, I expect to have to use the Yamaha generator for extended camping in cold weather.
RE: HR Black Diamond / Boogie Box
I towed it for a year without sway control, just a Reese weight distributing hitch. Then, after I flipped the axles, I noticed a bit of tendancy to wag, so I added the Reese dual cam sway control. It tows nice actually. I'm not familiar with the Equalizer hitch, but I installed the Reese dual cam myself and it went without a hitch... (bad pun)
I don't know at the moment who made the chassis, If I find time, I'll try to locate it tonight.
The converter is an Atwood branded converter made by Fortron. It's the TP3 series. Typical of the converters put in most RV's now. I disconnect the batteries when parked at home and hook up a battery tender to them so The converter doesn't boil the batteries dry while stored.
The power hungry Atwood furnace drains the batteries in a couple of cold nights, so I ended up buying a Yamaha 1000 watt inverter generator to leave purring away at night when it's cold enough to require the furnace. I then fire up the Onan 4000 whenever we want to make coffee or use the microwave. This approach works pretty good for camping in cold weather.
One thing I really miss from the Vortex though is a gas gauge on the fuel tank. The Vortex had one, the B-Box doesn't. I'm thinking about dropping the fuel tank and adding a sending unit and gauge since I don't like guessing how much gas I have left for the quads and generator.
Sam
PS: I haven't seen the movie "The Hills Have Eyes"... Might have to rent it.
RE: HR Black Diamond / Boogie Box
We have the 26' front bedroom Boogie Box.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y111/desertmoose4/IMG_2665.jpg
It's our second toyhauler. The first was a Thor Vortex. In our opinion, the B-box is better built, with more attention to the details.
It hasn't been perfect, the check valve in the black tank spray was in backwards, I redid some caulking, I replaced the faucet in the bath sink since the spout was too short to get your hand under it, and I had to add some padding to quieten down the water pump, but overall it been good.
We really like the additional 4 feet inside with the V-nose. Nominally it's a 26 foot trailer, but with the V-nose, it actually measures 30'-6".
I can't really say the v-nose is easier to tow with, because at the same time we got this trailer, I went from a gas engine truck to a diesel. It makes sense that it does cut down on the drag though.
Sam
RE: Get rid of them?
Hey guys.
We still have them. Still not real happy with the wife's quad.
The flashing light is NOT the check belt light. That one you reset with the connector swap procedure.
Instead, what is flashing is the 4WD light. At a rate that indicates there is trouble with the actuator on the KEBC (Kawasaki engine brake control). This actuator puts a load on the belt so the engine compression holds you back going downhill. With our little downslopes here in the Sierra, that was one of the reasons we bought these particular quads.
I have pulled the actuator and did the checks in the service manual for the KEBC flashing and found nothing wrong. The actuator works, voltages and connections are per the manual, there is no sign of binding or stickiness...
In short, everything looks good, except the light keeps coming on.
I've read that some guys "fix" the problem with a piece of black tape over the light.... Believe me, I'm starting to see why.
I'm about ready to swap quads and let the wife ride mine, while I take the one that keeps flashing. I'd feel better if it went out on a downhill with me at the controls, rather than the wife.
Sam.
PS: we just got back from our deer hunt, the quads hauled out two deer for us...
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y111/desertmoose4/critters%20and%20nature/Kats1stdeerwithnewrifle101409-Alitt.jpg
(Thanks for all the input)
RE: Awning screws pulled out
Hey! You stole our trailer...
We have the exact same trailer.....
When we got ours, the awning support was mounted wrong. The front arm on the awning wouldn't ride up and over the top bracket when we went to put the awning back up the first time. I had to climb on the roof and lift the awning into place to get home.
I ended up relocating the brackets at the bottom of the arms by one set of holes lower. This put the mounting screws low enough that I bolted all the way through the tube frame. To disguise the original holes, I filled them with caulk, and inserted short lag screws. This filled and sealed the holes, and looks better than a blob of caulking. No sanding or painting required either.
Sam
RE: Help Me Make My Brother Think I'm Smart! :)
Here's a picture
http://www.wikihow.com/images/b/ba/Doubledovetailpuzzle3.png
http://www.wikihow.com/images/b/ba/Doubledovetailpuzzle3.png
RE: Help Me Make My Brother Think I'm Smart! :)
There's an easier way to do this than soaking and forcing...
Machine the dovetails from corner to corner. The piece will slide together at an angle and give the appearance in the picture....
Sam
RE: Get rid of them?
Actually I normally hang on to things forever. I’m looking more for a reason to keep them than change them out.
It’s not one problem in 4 years, it’s a problem that shouldn’t exist in 60 hours of use.
Reading on several ATV forums shows the actuators on the 4x4 select and engine braking (same actuator) fails a LOT. Fixes range from removing the fork (disabling them) to black tape over the flashing light, to gutting the actuator and replacing the rheostat to rigging up a choke cable to manually engage things and eliminating the actuator entirely.
New actuators run a few hundred dollars. In addition, one mode of failure puts them in a “limp mode” where the engine cuts back to barely above an idle, and the 4x4 is disabled. Not a good thing if you’re at the bottom of a canyon you have to climb out of.
We don’t have enough time to be riding them as much as we want, so I really don’t like having to put time in fixing them when we could be riding. That was the reason behind buying new ones and religiously maintaining them.
Other than the worry about failing actuators, we are quite content with them. They have plenty of performance for our requirements.
As for a good dealer service department…. There was a recall on them for the front steering knuckles. After waiting almost a year for the parts to come in, (with the factory advising to NOT use them until the fix was performed), we finally got the call to take them in. A couple of weeks later we got them back. No charge. Then we went for a ride. Trying to back one of them out of the toyhauler when we got back home showed a problem. One front tire wouldn’t roll going backwards. Getting it in the garage, I found all the mounting bolts missing on one brake caliper, and only one very loose bolt left on the other brake caliper. Looks like the “highly qualified service technician” had failed to tighten the bolts after putting the calipers back on. Probably went to lunch and the failed to remember.
I prefer to work on my equipment myself, but the whole point is with the low usage, I shouldn’t have to be fixing a design defect.
OK, rant over….
I really don’t like going through the selling and buying something else process. Maybe I’ll just buy a couple of spare actuators and keep them on hand.
Sam
Get rid of them?
Hey everyone. Desert moose here. I don’t want to start a Ford versus Chevy type discussion, but I would like some advice.
My wife and I have matching 2005 Kawasaki Prairie 360 4x4’s. Bought them new. I’ve changed all fluids every year, and keep up on the maintenance. We are in our 50’s, so no catching air off jumps or anything like that, just puttering along looking at the scenery and critters, with the occasional hauling a dead deer back to camp.
Right now we have around 500 miles and 60 hours on them. I figured they would last as long as we were able to keep riding.
Except, this spring when I took them out of the toyhauler, the wife’s quad had the flashing 4X4 indicator light that shows trouble with the KEBC actuator. I was able to clear it last night by removing and reinserting the fuses under the seat. We have company from out of town, so I wasn’t able to go for a ride to see if the light would come back on.
Which now leads to my question. Should I get rid of these and get another model/ brand that would probably be more reliable? I’m not happy that with so few hours on the machine, we’re already having problems. Is there a dirt simple 4x4 quad that doesn’t have all the electronic goodies/ actuators where it will be more reliable? It looks like the actuators are a chronic problem.
Thanks, Sam
RE: Can you get 2 Polaris Sportsmans in an 8x10 garage?
It's a real problem. We had a small Vortex toyhauler where the only way we could fit two quads in was to prop the door level on jackstands, run the quad up an aluminum ramp from the side, jack the quad up on a castered dolly and push it sideways into the garage. Could fit both in that way, and we did it for a couple of years.
Then we wised up and got a toyhauler with a long enough garage we can park the quads nose to tail by driving them in.
It's the ONLY way to go.
Sam
RE: propane tank conectors faulty? causing low flow
Yep, it happens. My new trailer has 3 propane tanks. On a hunting trip last year, the first two were used up, then the furnace went out in the middle of a snowstorm with howling winds. I put an extra tank in the place of the first one used, and went inside wondering how I'd used up 3 tanks full.
Winterizing the unit after the trip, I found out the middle tank was still full????
Did a bit of troubleshooting, and found the same problem you have. Could get minimal flow out of the hose on that tank, but not enough to run the furnace. Confirmed the problem by swapping the hose to another location, and then just for grins drilled out the flow limiter and proved it worked then.
Before anyone gets excited, I bought a new hose and replaced the one I drilled out. Threw the drilled out one in the trash. Didn't camp with it, just ran everything in the driveway to verify the fix.
Sam
RE: Got the porch/patio done today...
No, the chain would be too hard to get the exact chain length. Maybe a little easier with a turnbuckle, but cheaper with the cable.....and lighter.
Mav
We used chain on ours. One link difference in chain length raised/ lowered the end of the door by less than 1/4" inch. Picked the length that was closest to level and went with it.
I doubt most people actually level the whole trailer closer than that when they set up.
Works great for us, and no sharp cable ends to try and wrap with tape or something to keep from snagging on it.
Sam
RE: do you own a Boogie Box
We have one. Got it in October 2007. It's pretty well built actually. Seems to be a bit better than our previous toy hauler, a Vortex.
We've had few problems with it, The converter fuses were blown when we picked it up, so the battery wasn't being charged and went dead on our first trip out. Was using the furnace, and it sucks a lot of power. Had to go home a day early. One of the stabilizer jacks was bent, We noted it on the walkthrough, and the dealer shipped a replacement to us, along with two fuses for the converter.
Other than that, the only problem we've had is the diaphragm in the propane regulator failed and was venting propane. We bought a Marshall Brass replacement and put it in ourselves. By then the dealer had closed it's doors. It wouldn't have been worth it to drag the thing 50 miles to get them to fix it even if they still were in business.
To be fair, we had to change out the same made in India regulator on the previous toyhauler also.
Most trailers use the same components. Furnace, fridge, etc, so any problems with them can be taken care of by any dealer.
I really like the V nose and floor plan. Cuts the wind a lot better than the Vortex did.
We're real happy with ours.
Sam
Reno backs off
From today's Reno Gazette Journal
Reno council won't crack down on RV parking
Staff report • February 12, 2009
Regarding overnight parking of recreational vehicles in hotel-casino parking lots, the Reno City Council decided Wednesday to let the sleeping giants lie.
Under the current ordinance, complaints about illegal RV parking result in warnings or citations.
The council agreed that's sufficient.
The city had received several complaints about a parking lot on South Virginia Street.
Tray Abney, Reno-Sparks Chamber of Commerce lobbyist, said more than 100 e-mails were sent from RVers across the country threatening to boycott Reno if adopted stricter rules.
Councilman Dan Gustin said RV users shouldn't set up barbecue grills, chairs and create a camp.
Nice to know there are honest people out there.
I took the better half to the doctor yesterday for a follow up on her broken leg. The Dr. said she was coming along fine, and could start removing the brace as long as she stayed on the crutches.
To celebrate (and because I'm getting tired of cooking...), we stopped at AppleBees for dinner.
After dinner, we gathered up the coats, leftovers, crutches, etc. and went home.
Drove her to work this morning, and she couldn't open the building door... her wallet with the key card, all ID, credit cards, drivers license, etc, wasn't in her coat pocket. (She's not carrying a purse since dealing with the crutches).
Ran back home, didn't find it.
She called AppleBees after they opened, and sure enough, her wallet was there. With everything, including cash inside it.
She caught a ride to Applebees with a coworker, and the manager gave her the wallet. She said she took care of the thanks to the bus boy that found it.
Sure nice to know there's still people like that around.
Sam
